Crossover gets boost of refinement and style

Originally published: January 31, 2013

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For 2014, the Kia Sorento has been reworked to keep it contemporary. While it is being billed as a mid-life facelift, it is, in reality, an extensive makeover that touches all areas of the vehicle — more than 80% of the 2014 Sorento is new.

Stylistically, the 2014 Sorento gets a new bumper, available High-Intensity Discharge headlights with LED daytime running lights and restyled fog lights. What makes a bigger difference is the addition of body-coloured trim in place of the black plastic that once ran around the wheel arches — it now looks like a crossover rather than a wannabe SUV. At the back, there’s a restyled rear bumper (again with less black plastic) and LED combination lamps. The top-line Sorento SX features the Kia’s new light bar LED tail lights. They are different from most in that the LED’s light is diffused by a frosted lens. Consequently, they look more like light tubes than LEDs.

Inside, the changes are extensive and designed to add refinement — something the original Sorento was, frankly, a little thin on. Along with new soft-touch materials, the instrumentation and centre stack have been reworked and now feature a modern, high-tech design that gets a needed infusion of functionality.

Likewise, the audio systems have been upgraded to deliver better sound quality. The up-level audio package includes a new 4.3-inch touchscreen that also displays the scene from the rearview camera. The icing on the high-tech centre stack is found in the third-generation navigation system. It now includes an eight-inch touchscreen, which makes everything much easier to operate — none of those infernal central controllers to twiddle, which means less distracted driving time.

Other key interior upgrades include the availability of heated/cooled front seats, heated middle row seats and a new Blind Spot Detection system. When the radar-based system senses a car sliding into what could be a blind spot, a warning light illuminates. If the driver ignores this warning and begins to change lanes, the light begins to flash and an audible warning alerts the driver to the potential hazard.

Moving rearward, the new Sorento brings more second- and third-row legroom — up 30 millimetres in the middle row and, in the seven-seat model, 9 mm in the third row. The ride height has also been lowered by 10 mm, which means it less of a hike up to the cabin.

The base 2.4-litre direct-injection engine, which produces 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, continues unchanged and will be the engine of choice for those interested in fuel economy more than outright performance. The underhood highlight is the introduction of an all-new direct-injected V6. Displacing 3.3L, it develops 290 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque, which is up 14 hp and four lb-ft of torque compared to the previous 3.5L V6. It also brings a competitive power advantage — it has 20 hp more than the 2013 Toyota Highlander and a 30-hp advantage over the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Interestingly, it has 26 hp more than the Hyundai Santa Fe’s topline turbocharged engine. I say interesting because the 2014 Sorento is based on the Santa Fe.

Both engines are teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission and front- or all-wheel drive. The transmission, which features a manual mode, works nicely with the new V6 engine. As the first five ratios key on performance the Sorento runs from rest to 100 kilometres an hour in 7.2 seconds, which is athletic for a crossover. Sixth, being a tall overdrive gear improves fuel economy and brings a quieter highway ride.

The smart shopper will opt for the Sorento’s Torque On Demand all-wheel-drive system. While it delivers all the drive to the front wheels under normal driving conditions, it is quick to react to a change in the grip level, which means it brings much better stability across the board — better on-road civility and, if required, a degree of off-road ability. For those moments when the going gets really slippery, the system has a lock function, which splits the power evenly front to rear.

Riding on the second-generation platform (as mentioned, the Sorento now shares the Hyundai Santa Fe’s platform and boasts an 18% improvement in torsional rigidity), the Sorento features an upgraded suspension with High Performance Dampers. The dampers automatically alter the amount of damping based upon the speed of the body’s motion, which means a softer ride when loafing along and more control through a fast corner. The other dynamic improvements include larger front brake rotors and a new adjustable steering system — it allows the driver to choose Comfort, Normal or Sport modes.

On the drive around the Scottsdale area, the new Sorento had a much more refined feel to it than the 2012 Sorento tested recently. The ride quality is better and the handling is improved. The credit goes to the stiffer platform and better shock absorbers. I had mixed emotions about the adjustable steering — all but the Sport mode proved to be too light.

The North American-built Sorento has developed a strong following. The improvements to the 2014 model should build on its popularity, especially when equipped with the new V6 engine. The 2014 Sorento arrives in dealer showrooms in the next month or so. Pricing has yet to be announced.